Bengaluru: 509 dead in five years due to electrocution

Bengaluru bore witness to the deaths of at least 509 people and animals in five years, all due to electric shock.

Bengaluru: The city of Bengaluru in Karnataka has seen a number of deaths as a result of electric shock. In the last five years, there have been as many as 509 deaths in the city due to electrocution, according to data shared by Bangalore Electric Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM).

The data shared by BESCOM states that there were 283 deaths in the year 2015-16, 235 deaths in 2016-17, 239 lives were lost in 2017-18 and 149 deaths in 2018-19.

The most recent death was that of a 14-year-old boy who suffered a shock and succumbed to his injuries on May 20.

Few of the recent cases are:

In May 8, 2019, an 8-month old boy was playing in a shed in an under-construction building when he was electrocuted after he crawled into a junction box.

In April 2019, a nine-year-old boy, Sai Charan was playing with his friends in Mahalakshmi Layout when he came in contact with a live wire. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.

In another case in April 2019, a 13-year-old boy was electrocuted in Jeevan Bima Nagar. The boy named Bharat was electrocuted when he used a wet stick to reach a mango. Bharat was unaware of the presence of a live electric wire that passed through the tree. He was rushed to hospital but was declared ‘brought dead’.

In February 2019, an eight-year-old boy was electrocuted when he came in contact with a live wire while playing in a park. The boy came in contact with a live wire which was not insulated properly due to lighting work that was carried out recently in the park. The boy was rushed to hospital but was declared dead.

Speaking to media, BBMP commissioner recently said that a meeting had been held with BESCOM officials to shift electric cables underground.